1. Field of Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to cutting tools, and more particularly to an apparatus designed to allow simultaneous, or near simultaneous, heating and cutting of a material.
2. Description of the Related Art
In various industries, the use of knives, such as for example utility knives, hook knives, etc. (hereinafter “knives”) to cut material is known. For example, in the roofing industry, a hand-held knife is often used to cut one or more roofing shingles to a desired shape, for example to separate joined shingles for use in fabricating a ridge portion of a roof, or to shape a shingle to allow the shingle to fit around pre-existing structures on the roof. Following cutting of the shingle, the shingle may be installed in a desired location on the roof.
Many types of roofing shingles are fabricated from materials which are easier to cut at higher temperatures. For example, traditional asphalt roofing shingles tend to be stiffer and tougher, and therefore more difficult to cut, at colder temperatures. Conversely, these traditional asphalt roofing shingles tend to be more flexible, and therefore easier to cut, at warmer temperatures. Accordingly, because roof installation is typically performed in an outdoor environment, the ease at which a roofer may cut a shingle using a hand-held knife is often dependent, at least in part, upon the weather conditions in which the roofing takes place. More specifically, it is often easier to cut a shingle in an outdoor environment using a hand-held knife during warmer weather than it is to cut a similar shingle using a similar knife in colder weather, due to the respective relative temperatures of the shingles in such weather.
Similarly, in the flooring industry, hand-held knives are often used to cut flooring, such as for example carpet, vinyl flooring, linoleum, etc. (hereinafter “flooring”) to a desired shape allow the flooring to be installed within the confines of a specific location. And, similarly to the above-discussed roofing shingles, many types of flooring are easier to cut at warmer temperatures and can be more difficult to cut at cooler temperatures.
When cutting a material whose shear strength is largely dependent upon temperature, such as the above-discussed flooring and roofing materials, in a cooler environment, it is often impractical to relocate the material to be cut to a warmer environment to allow the material to warm up, thereby softening the material for cutting. For example, when cutting the above-discussed roofing shingles in a cold outdoor environment, it is often impractical to relocate the shingles to be cut to a warmer environment prior to cutting the shingles. Likewise, when cutting a flooring material in a cool indoor environment, it is difficult to relocate the flooring material to a warmer environment prior to cutting. Accordingly, there is a need for a device which allows a material to be heated just prior to cutting the material, such that the material is softened by heat prior to cutting.